Faced with the risk of an “epidemic resumption” of the COVID-19 this summer, in particular because of the emergence of a new variant, the Academy of Medicine, which judges the most fragile vaccination, calls for accelerating efforts in the matter.
“There is still time for the vaccination of the most risky persons,” alerted the academy in a press release, whose opinions have no official value but aim to bring medical consensus to a given subject.
A variant that “risks becoming dominant”
The institution is concerned in particular with the emergence of a new variant, nb.1.8.1, derived from omicron, a dominant version of the coronavirus for several years. This variant, potentially more transmitted, gave rise to an “important epidemic rebound in Asia”, points out the Academy, citing Hong Kong, Taiwan or Singapore.
“Its still low prevalence increases in North America and several European countries, suggesting that it risks becoming dominant,” she continues, noting, however, that he does not seem to cause more serious forms of the disease.
In this context, the vaccination of fragile people does not appear sufficient at the Academy of Medicine. In France, anti-Cavid vaccination gives rise to two campaigns per year. One, in winter, is coupled with antigrippe vaccination, with a fairly wide audience which includes every 65 years.
The second takes place in the spring and aims for fewer people: apart from immunocompromised patients and other very risky categories, it only concerns over 80s.
Vaccination does not encounter “strong membership”
Initially planned until mid-June, this campaign has been extended until the end of the month and could, according to the Academy, last even longer, until mid-July. For the time being, the campaign “does not seem to meet a strong adhesion in the target population”, regrets the institution.
She immediately calls to vaccinate all the people affected by this campaign. The Academy also recommends rapid vaccination for less fragile people but who were not vaccinated this winter when they were eligible.
This includes all people “of equal age or greater than 65, () pregnant women, (patients) with comorbidities, or in (people) in regular contacts with fragile or immunocompromised people”, she recalls.
